Slumping Rangers need to ride together

His struggling Rangers, who have lost three straight in regulation for the first time this season, return to Madison Square Garden tonight off a brutal 1-3-0 road trip to host the Hurricanes.

It starts a stretch of three of four games at home as they teeter between re-inserting themselves into the playoff picture or dropping further in the Eastern Conference standings.

"We just have to block everything else out and just stay within ourselves and try to find our game," Tortorella said.

Tonight's game was supposed to be a Staal brother reunion with Eric and Jared playing for the Hurricanes. But Rangers defenseman Marc Staal remains out indefinitely after being hit near the right eye by a puck on March 5.

Still, it's been the Rangers' offense that has hurt them most. They've scored two goals in their last nine periods after the Penguins beat them, 3-0, on Saturday, and their 63 total goals ranked 28th in the NHL at the start of Sunday's play.

So, in the face of adversity, Tortorella is trying to keep his team from fraying internally.

"When you don't score, your confidence goes down," Tortorella said. "When you don't win, it goes down. We just need to stay together as a team and try to work through it. We have good people. We've just got to have some good things happen to us."

Tortorella is preaching to his team, which had won five of six prior to this losing streak, that all it takes is a good week to get back into the playoff picture.

The Rangers are at the Devils on Tuesday before hosting the floundering Panthers and Capitals on Thursday and Sunday, respectively.

But the cash-strapped Islanders leapfrogged the Rangers by one point into ninth place in the conference with their 4-3 win at Florida on Saturday. The Hurricanes, three points ahead of the Rangers, hold the eighth and final playoff spot.

"We haven't gotten to our identity consistently enough," Tortorella said. "We're done talking about the lockout or a lack of practice time. Every team in this league is in the same boat. Other teams are finding ways to win. We need to find ways."